Town Square

Please go to school board meeting tonight to support CSR

Original post made
by CSR, Another Pleasanton neighborhood,
on May 28, 2013

Parents and concerned community members will talk to the school board tonight about the importance of lowering class sizes for all the grades in K-3. 1st grade class sizes have already been lowered from 30-1 to 25-1 as the school board decided to commit funding for this in addition to the money that PPIE produced (from fundraising, the Run for Education and Bon Appetit) for this measure.

Parents have started a grassroots effort to help fund lower class sizes now for grades 2, K and 3 and will ask the school board to discuss this properly at their next meeting. The school board indicated that last year not enough parents showed up to say they cared about CSR (despite the PPIE survey that indicated this was the top issue of concern to elementary parents), so show your interest tonight, Tuesday, if this is something you value.

Do not accept that it is in the budget to reduce class sizes from 30-1 to 20-1 for next year - the rules are changing and it is very likely that this will be dropped or implemented VERY slowly - current students don't stand a chance.

If you have not pledged to support CSR, please consider doing so. No money is due now, it will only become due if the school board agrees to reduce the class sizes. It is important that anyone who cares and can afford even a small contribution does so, as the funding is very tight and we need to do what we can to support our kids' education as the politicians are likely to let us down on this important topic. This is not one that only the usual 10-20% can do - it will take more than that.

So please go to the meeting tonight and consider pledging on Web Link if this is something you would like to support. There is a list of supporters and contact people online.

Posted by Kathleen Ruegsegger
a resident of Vintage Hills Elementary School
on May 28, 2013 at 4:31 pmKathleen Ruegsegger is a registered user.

I have a concern that the community's parents are splitting themselves up to fund CSR (or any other classroom wish list item). Kindergarden and first grade parents might support second grade CSR because they may benefit, but what about third grade parents or middle school or high school? Is every grade level who might benefit from X Y or Z going to have to lobby the board? Can the board say yes to some and not to others? Does this process recur the following year(s)? I certainly don't wish to discourage anyone; I just see the energy that will be expended and wonder whether a more effective approach can be made collectively.

Posted by CSR
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on May 28, 2013 at 5:40 pm

The school community at large has already supported 1st grade CSR. The grades have to come back in a certain order. We are all banding together, it's a technicality which order the grades come back in.

Yes, we do have to lobby the board, because they seem to think that if we're not there, we don't care. We were told there was little point in going to the board meeting last year because they said clearly that bringing it back was not an option. Apparently, from comments made last board meeting, they still wanted us to beg for it. Why, I don't know.

Posted by Kathleen Ruegsegger
a resident of Vintage Hills Elementary School
on May 28, 2013 at 6:08 pmKathleen Ruegsegger is a registered user.

Thanks CSR. I do know the state requirements, but if K-3 is the goal, and the district has $X for the goal; the community then needs to raise $Y; and if only enough for $Z is raised, then only two or three grades, in the order required, get CSR. One fundraising effort and a common goal with the district.

I also understand lobbying is necessary. It seems unfortunate it has to be done one grade at a time. I hope you are successful!